Cigarette machine paster



Feb. 26, 1935. w; B, BRO'NANDER Er AL 1,992,736

CIGARETTE MACHINE FASTER Filed Macn 2:5, 19:54

Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,992,736 CIGARETTE MACHINE PASTEB Application March 23, 1934, Serial No. '117,098

3 Claims.

This invention relates to pasters for continuous rod cigarette machines, its main object being to provide a rod-pasting device suitable for highspeed operation. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in `the claims hereunto appended.

In cigarette rod pasters heretofore in use, the paste was taken by contact from a revolving drum by a revolving paste-wheel from the periphery of which it was wiped by the overlap edge of the paper strip. While this arrangement operates perfectly at moderate speed, it is unsatisfactory for high speed cigarette machines, since beyond a certain speed, the amount of paste picked up by the paper becomes insufficient. To overcome this trouble, in the present devicev use is made of the gear-pump principle to scoop the paste in definite amounts from the paste receptacle and to deliver it under pressure to the paper lap of the cigarette rod through a perforated nozzle. 'I'his method, besides at all times securing a sufficient supply of paste at the paper strip, has the advantage of eliminating the necessity of periodically cleaning the paster, since there are no eX- posed paste-carrying surfaces except at the delivery end of the nozzle, and the latter is automatically kept clean by the passing paper strip.

The improved device comprises two sets of gears mounted coaxially and communicating through ducts in their housing, one set projecting into the paste receptacle and serving as a paste pick-up and the other set discharging into a nozzle and serving for paste delivery. In order to insure full paste supply to the delivery gears, the pick-up gears are made of greater paste-holding capacity by providing them with widr or deeper teeth than the delivery gears, the surplus paste returning through a by-pass in the gearhousing to the paste receptacle. The by-pass in the gear housing is controlled by an adjustable relief valve so that the paste delivery can be readily regulated to conform with varying conditions in consistency of the paste, etc. Thus the set of delivery gears receives paste under pressure of a xed amount insuringl filling of the tooth spaces of the delivery gears and avoiding the formation of air locks and air pockets, thereby assuring exact measuring in accordance with the capacity of the delivery gear teeth.

The amount of paste fed may be varied merely by changing the speed of rotation of the gear sets. This device is equally workable on starch and casein paste, and may be applied to the accurate feeding of other substances of varying viscosity.

For moderate speed cigarette machines, where an over-supply of paste is not essential, one set of gears may be omitted, the second set, moved with housing and nozzle into the place of the first, then serving for pick-up as well as delivery. However, this arrangement has been found unsatisfactory as it was subject to air locks and air pockets, and does not always feed uniformly.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improved cigarette-rod paster;

Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same on line 2-2 of Fvg. 1;

Fig. 3l is a sectional side elevation on line 3-3 of Fig..2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the delivery nozzle from line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a paste reservoir having an outlet in its bottom, a gear housing attached to the bottom of said reservoir beneath said outlet, a nozzle secured to said housing, and a pair of intermeshing paste pick-up gears journaled in said housing beneath said outlet to receive paste between their teeth and deliver the paste between the teeth of said delivery gears. In the best constructions contemplated the tooth spaces of said pick-up gears have a greater paste capacity than the tooth spaces of the delivery gears to supply an excess of paste' to the latter and thereby insure complete filling thereof, and there is also provided a relief valve communicating with the delivery gears and reservoir to return excess paste to the reservoir. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the speciiic construction shown and described.

Referring to the drawing, the paste receptacle 6 is provided with a lug 'l by which it is releasably attached to studs 8 carried by a housing 9 containing a gear 10 mounted on a drive shaft 11 of the cigarette machine. To the bottom of paste reservoirI 6 is attached a gear housing 12 which carries two horizontal shafts 13 one of 10. 0n the shafts 13 are mounted two intermeshing sets of gears 15 and 16, the gears 15 being placed in a cavity in the inner end of the housing below the outlet of the receptacle 6 and projecting into the same with their end faces closely fitting the vertical walls of the cavity and lug 7. The bottom of the cavity is provided with two arcuate depressions which t the lower sides of the gears 15. The paste pick-up gears 15, which are shown integral with the shafts 13 are wider than the paste delivery gears 16 which are keyed to the shafts 13 and disposed in intersecting blind axial bores in the outer end of the housing l2. Between the two sets of gears, the housing carries bushings 17 forming bearings for the shafts 13 which are also supported by bushings 18 in lug 7 of receptacle 6. Between the bearings 17 the housing 12 has a vertical duct 19 closed f by a plug 20, the duct 19 communicatingv with the gear cavity in the inner end of the housing and the axial bores in the outer end of the housing by means of ducts 21 and 22 registering with the initial point 0f contact of the acting sides of the teeth of gear set 15 and the final point of contact of the acting sides of the teeth of gear set 16, respectively.

From the intersection of the bores at a point above the gears 16, a vertical by-pass 23 in housing 12 leads to the inlet of a relief valve 24 threaded into a bore formed in the bottom of receptacle 6, the pressure at which the valve 24 will open and permit return of paste to the reservoir 6 through by-pass 23 being adjustable by means o1' a screw 25.

The outer end of the gear housing 12 is closed by a. cover 26 which has a horizontal duct 27 registering with the initial point of contact of the acting sides of the teeth of gears 16 and opening into a socket 26' of cover 26. In socket 26', a nozzle 28 having horizontal openings 29, is held against a strainer 30 by a forked lever 31 pivoted on a stud 32 held in lugs 33 of receptacle 6 and having a screw 34 bearing against a boss 35 on receptacle 6. Upon loosening the screw 34 the nozzle can be readily released so that it and the strainer may be removed for cleaning.

The operation of this device is as follows: Paste P from receptacle 6 is carried by the teeth of gears 15, which revolve in the direction of the arrows shown, to duct 21, Fig. 2, is forced therethrough into ducts 19 and 22, Fig. 3, and thus is caused to enter between the teeth of gears 16. The teeth of gears 16 carry the paste to duct 26 of cover 25, Fig. 4, and force it through strainer 30 into nozzle 28, Fig. 3, from which it issues through the openings 29 upon the passing paper strip of the cigarette rod C, Fig. 1,the adjustment of the screw 25 of relief valve 24 regulating its ow.

What ls claimed is:

1. In a cigarette machine paster, the combination with a paste reservoir having an outlet in its bottom, of a gear housing attached to the bottom of said reservoir beneath said outlet, a nozzle secured to said housing, a pair of intermeshing paste delivery gears journaled in said housing to deliver paste to said nozzle, and a pair of intermeshing paste pick-up gears journaled in said housing beneath said outlet to receive paste between their teeth and deliver the paste between the teeth of said delivery gears, whereby a stream of paste is forced through said nozzle.

2. In a cigarette machine paster, the combination 'with a. paste reservoir having an outlet in its bottom, of a gear housing attached to the bottom of said reservoir beneath said outlet, a nozzle secured to said housing, a pair of intermeshing paste delivery gears journaled in said housing to deliver paste to said nozzle, and a. pair of intermeshing paste pick-up gears journaled in said housing beneath said outlet to receive paste between their teeth and deliver the paste between the teeth of said delivery gears, whereby a stream of paste is forced through said nozzle, the tooth spaces of said pick-up gears having a greater paste capacity than the tooth spaces of said delivery gears to supply an excess of paste tothe latter and thereby insure complete iilling thereof, and a relief valve communicating with said delivery gears and reservoir to return the excess paste to the reservoir.

3. In a cigarette machine paster, the combination with a paste reservoir having an outlet in its bottom, of a gear housing attached to the bottom of the reservoir beneath said outlet, a nozzle secured to said housing, a gear pump journaled in said housing, and an adjustable relief valve threaded into the bottomof the reservoir, said housing having a cavity. formed in one end below said outlet and a pair of intersecting blind axial bores formed in its other end, and being provided with intercommunicating ducts leading from said cavity to the intersection of said bores, and a by-pass leading from said intersection to the inlet of said valve, said pump including a pair of intermeshing paste pick-up gears in said cavity, and a pair of intermeshing paste delivery gears in said bores, and said nozzle communicating with the intersection of the outer ends of said bores, whereby any oversupply of paste to the delivery gears is returned to the reservoir through the relief valve.

WILHELM B. BRONANDER. CHARLES ARELT. 

